Abstract
The effect of molecular weight (Mw) on line-edge roughness (LER) in ZEP resists, which are positive-tone electron-beam resists, was investigated by changing the size of the aggregates in resist films and the latent-image contrast. The LER was estimated by directly observing the pattern sidewall. It was clarified that the LER for low-Mw resist is larger than that for high-Mw resist and also that the LER for low-Mw resist is independent of the latent image contrast. On the other hand, the LER for high-Mw resist increases rapidly with decreasing contrast. These results can be explained by the relationship between the size of aggregates and the width of the transition zone between low- and high-dose regions; This strongly suggests that low-Mw resists are not necessarily advantageous in reducing LER.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1212-1219 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
| Volume | 5039 II |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 1 2003 |
| Event | Advances in Resist Technology and Processing XX - Santa Clara, CA, United States Duration: Feb 24 2003 → Feb 26 2003 |
Keywords
- Electron-beam lithography
- Image contrast
- LER
- Polymer aggregates
- Positive-tone resist
- Roughness
- ZEP
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Computer Science Applications
- Applied Mathematics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering